Kevin Mackinnon, Author at Triathlon Magazine Canada

In theory Saturday’s Ironman World Championship should be an easy call. In practice nothing could be further from the truth.

Women’s preview coming later today

Jan Frodeno has beaten Sebastian Kienle twice this season, but that just makes the defending champion even more dangerous.

For well over a decade it’s been pretty easy to at least come up with four athletes who could win the men’s title – it will come out of someone who finished in the top four the preview year. That would put the odds on favorites to be Sebastian Kienle, Ben Hoffman, Jan Frodeno and Andy Potts.

Based on 2015 race results, coupled with his stellar season this year, the Ironman World Championship men’s title will go to Jan Frodeno. Heck, we even profiled the 2008 Olympic champ in our September issue. Even the 2008 Olympic champ doesn’t give much credence to any theory. He is all too aware that a motivated Sebastian Kienle is a scary opponent to have.

“I love a good battle and Sebastian is a great opponent to have,” Frodeno said earlier this week. “I enjoy racing him. Aside from the fact that he’s a good guy, purely as an opponent. He’s awesome because he’s a killer. He goes out there and gets the most of himself when he’s racing. And he’s even more dangerous when he’s angry.”

Sebastian Kienle is determined to defend his title tomorrow.

Why would Kienle be angry? Frodeno spanked him in Frankfurt in July at the Ironman European Championship, riding a stunning 4:08 bike split, then running a 2:50 marathon in 40 degree heat. After years of trying, Frodeno finally took his first world title in Zell am See at the Ironman 70.3 World Championship. Who was second, with the fastest run split of the day? You got it – the defending Ironman world champion.

All of which makes Frodeno obviously very aware that the Kona title on Saturday is very dependent on how he fares over his countryman. And make no mistake, Kienle is motivated to defend his title.

“I think the mix is absolutely perfect,” Kienle said earlier today. “I am the defending champion, I have the confidence … on the other hand Jan has had some absolutely superb performances this year. He beat me two times. In Frankfurt he was in another zip code. That takes away some of the pressure for me. It is also great to have him in the sport. It’s good for your motivation – after the win last year I had to find some new goals. With Jan there you know you can’t take it easy. I want to beat him and that would be the perfect situation for me.”

“I don’t want to call it anger, but sometimes it is good when you’re not happy with your performances,” Kienle continued. “I think the momentum and the strength is going in the right direction. Zell was better than Frankfurt, so I hope that I have some steam left. I have the feeling that I have something left.”

Ben Hoffman finished second last year

Andy Potts was fourth last year

Are the two German’s the only one’s in the field who can win this race? Hardly. Last year’s runner up Ben Hoffman appears to be as fit and ready as ever. Frederik Van Lierde looked simply awesome in winning Ironman South Africa, the Ironman African Championship, in March. While he struggled a bit in Frankfurt, where he finished fifth, that probably had more to do with the state of his training and it’s not always best to be at your fittest in July when you’re gearing up for a race in Kona.

Marino Vanhoenacker

Frederik Van Lierde

Another man many are watching is Marino Vanhoenacker. Turns out the pain he was suffering in last year’s race was a broken sacrum (that’s a lot of pain …). Since he’s taken time off and let that heal he’s won both Ironman Brazil, the South American Championship and Ironman Austria. He says he’s been lucky twice, no one else is buying that. If Vanhoenacker can somehow figure out how to handle the heat here on Saturday, he could finally have the race we’ve been waiting to see him execute for years.

Brent McMahon holds the “rookie” card Nils Nilson produced for many of the Kona pros.

There’s a lot of excitement on the Canadian side of things, too. Brent McMahon has never done an Ironman in over eight hours. While he’s only done two, that’s still an astonishing feat.

“I am really relaxed and prepared for the course.” the Victoria native said in an interview earlier this week. “I am as ready as I can be for what Kona offers.”

Lionel Sanders

Lionel Sanders is hoping he’s ready to take on the tough conditions here in Kona. He’s been on the island for 19 days now, and is finally getting used to the heat and humidity.

“It was a good decision to come here early,” the Windsor native said in an interview today. “I’ve been here for 19 days and I also did a month of hot training in my training room. Over the last 19 days I’ve seen my heart rate come down on a daily basis. Another thing I’ve done is swim in the ocean every day. I’m swimming well, but I am preparing myself for a deficit. There’s no surprise there, though. Last year at the 70.3 world championship I was last out of the water.”

Jeff Symonds

After dominating the Ironman Asia-Pacific Championship earlier this year, Jeff Symonds has arrived on the island to soak up every bit of the atmosphere in order to learn everything he can about how to succeed here in Kona. He appears to be in great shape, which doesn’t necessarily bode well in this tough event.

The list could go on for a while. Luke McKenzie appears to be really fit right now. The Germans are all talking about Nils Frommhold and Andi Boecherer. Tim O’Donnell lives with the two-time defending champion here in Kona. He duelled with McMahon and Vanhoenacker in Brazil this year, finishing in between the two. Eneko Llanos has left his family at home in order to be better prepared and focus on this year’s race.

Suffice it to say that we’re in for a great day. It is very predictable as to how Frodeno will want to take this race out – a Frankfurt-type race plan is in the cards. The question is if it will work again when you have so many strong athletes ready to attack.

As Sebastian Kienle learned though, the best laid plans can go awry. Welcome to the world of Ironman racing.

Photos: Kevin Mackinnon

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Kevin Mackinnon

For over 30 years Kevin has been involved in the multisport world as an athlete, coach and race announcer. Since retiring from a nine-year professional triathlon career, the founding editor of Triathlon Magazine Canada has become one of triathlon's busiest journalists.

The post Kona Predictions: Men’s Race appeared first on Triathlon Magazine Canada.

No one wants to bet against Daniela Ryf as the champion here in Kona tomorrow, but then again, no one wants to count out Mirinda Carfrae.

The buzz here in Kona is that tomorrow’s race is going to be a wicked showdown between defending champion Mirinda Carfrae and last year’s runner up Daniela Ryf. The Swiss superstar came off a stellar 2014 and has gone even better in 2015, winning again and again in impressive style. She took Frankfurt with ease, then dominated the Ironman 70.3 World Championship, too. She says she’s feeling much stronger this year … just the news her competition wants to hear.

Defending champion Mirinda Carfrae

If all this sounds like a bit of deja vu, it is. Even though Carfrae was the defending champion last year, the feeling was that Ryf was the woman to beat. Carfrae managed the feat, but it took an epic run to do it – the Aussie came off the bike about 15 minutes down and used a 2:50 marathon to win.

One has to believe that a Brett Sutton trained athlete is going to come to Kona with the ammo to take the win. The same bike as last year, coupled with a three hour marathon, likely puts Ryf on top. But Carfrae is coached by Sutton protégé Siri Lindley, who no-doubt has her own tricks and plans, too. Carfrae will have to bike better this year, and who knows how fast she is capable of running – every time we think we have seen her at her fastest, she has found another gear so far.

So does that mean we don’t need to pay attention to anyone else? Hardly. Ryf is likely to have some company up front on the bike ride, and there are a bunch of women who will be quite happy to serve as spoilers if either of the two favourites falter at all.

One of those is our very own Angela Naeth, who arrives here as a Kona rookie, but has spent over seven weeks acclimating in Texas and Kona to hot, humid weather. She loves the heat and this is a perfect course for her. She’ll need to have a good swim, but if she can come out of the water within touch of the best women, she will certainly be a factor.

Angela Naeth prepares for her first race at the Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.

“I need to use my strength on the bike – if I can use my bike strength and stay hydrated then I can see myself in contention,” Naeth said earlier this week. “I feel like there are going to be a lot of group dynamics and a few packs forming.”

Leanda Cave

Caroline Steffen

Jodie Swallow

Included in some of those “packs” early on will be the likes of Leanda Cave, Rachel Joyce, Meredith Kessler, Heather Wurtele, Mary Beth Ellis, Caroline Steffen, Jodie Swallow, Julia Gajer and Liz Blatchford.

Anyone who saw Swallow lead from start to finish at the 2010 Ironman 70.3 World Championship, on a road bike, no less, is all too aware of just how talented the Brit is. She crashed the day before this year’s 70.3 worlds, so didn’t show the form that put her in front at Ironman South Africa earlier this year. She looks very fit coming into this weekend (as does everyone, mind you), but is certainly an athlete who can keep Ryf company at the front.

As is each and everyone of the women on that list above. Steffen has had an up and down year with sickness, but arrives in Kona rested for the first time in her life. Blatchford was second in Mont-Tremblant in August, which bodes well for her build into Kona. Joyce is loving being under the radar this year – a good run could put her in the driver’s seat tomorrow. Cave is as laid back as ever, but says she’s the most healthy she’s been at this race since 2012, when she won. Heather Wurtele has excelled everywhere else in the world other than Kona, and there really isn’t a reason she shouldn’t contend at this event. Kessler also remains very much under the radar this week – could this be her year to finally pop the run she has worked so hard on?

Suffice it to say there are a number of women who can finish in the top five here tomorrow. To win, though, they will likely need both Daniela Ryf and Mirinda Carfrae to falter. That’s a big ask.

Photos: Kevin Mackinnon

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Kevin Mackinnon

The post Kona Preview: The Women’s Race appeared first on Triathlon Magazine Canada.

It was a challenging day for the five Canadian pros in the field at the Ironman World Championship.

Photos and story by Kevin Mackinnon

McMahon hangs in for ninth

After years of trying, Jan Frodeno now has two world championship titles to his name to go along with his Olympic gold medal from 2008, not to mention the European championship he took in flying colours earlier this year. (All this success totally makes sense, of course, since we featured Frodeno in our September issue.)

After coming out of the water alongside super-swimmers Dylan McNiece and Andy Potts, the German blasted to the front of the race, keeping the pace brisk through the first 11 miles of the bike and even managing to open a gap of about a minute on Potts. Defending men’s champion Sebastian Kienle trailed by about 2:30 after the swim, but by 31 miles into the ride he was at the front, having towed a huge group of 16 up with him to join his countryman and rival at the front of the race.

It was then left to Tim O’Donnell to make a move, which he did on the long descent down from the turnaround at Hawi. Taking advantage of a huge tailwind, the American reached speeds of 110 km/ hour at times as he flew back towards T2, but was unable to hold off Kienle and Frodeno, who joined him again along the Queen K. Frodeno would make a charge over the final 10 or 12 miles, getting him to T2 about 30 seconds ahead of O’Donnell, and 55 seconds ahead of Kienle. Just minutes behind them was a “who’s who” of Ironman racing that included Eneko Llanos, Frederik Van Lierde, Brent McMahon, Ben Hoffman, Andi Boecherer, Tyler Butterfield, Maik Twelsiek, Andreas Raelert, Andy Potts, Romain Guillaume and Marino Vanhoenacker.

Jan Frodeno suffered to get to the line for his second world title.

Once out on the run, Frodeno kept the pace fast enough in the stiflingly hot conditions to turn the marathon into a game of attrition. It was Raelert who made the biggest move, eventually running his way past all but one member of that “who’s who” to take his third runner-up finish in Kona, while O’Donnell faded to third.

McMahon was close to the leaders out of the swim

McMahon, it turns out, was coming off a bit of a “set back” to his training – a couple of weeks out he got a fever and missed nine days of workouts – which no-doubt contributed to his challenges on the run.

“It was pretty ugly out there,” he said after the race. “I really struggled the first half of the run. I hung tough and the second half of the run came around. I went to a dark place coming out of the lab and just got to the finish and kept the legs turning over.”
Despite those issues, McMahon’s top-10 finish bodes extremely well for the two-time Olympian who, heading into Kona, had never finished an Ironman in over eight hours.

The always positive Jeff Symonds kept smiling even after some mechanical issues on the bike forced him to pedal with one leg for 30 km.

The Canadian bad luck, though, continued for Jeff Symonds, who started to have issues with his left crank at the turnaround in Hawi. With 30 km to go the crank just fell off completely, forcing the likeable Penticton native to ride with one leg all the way back to T2. He managed to run one of the day’s fastest marathon splits (his 2:50 was third fastest on the day) to finish a respectable 23rd, which is nothing short of amazing considering the difficulties he’d had.

Lionel Sanders on the run.

Another Canadian making his debut in Kona was Lionel Sanders, who was over 11-minutes behind after the swim, but ran his way to 14th to take the overall winner’s trophy.

TOP 10 Pro Men:
1 8:14:40 Jan Frodeno
2 8:17:43 Andreas Raelert
3 8:18:50 Timothy O’Donnell
4 8:21:25 Andy Potts
5 8:23:09 Tyler Butterfield
6 8:25:05 Cyril Viennot
7 8:28:10 Eneko Llanos
8 8:29:43 Sebastian Kienle
9 8:30:13 Brent McMahon
10 8:31:43 Boris Stein
Other Canadians:
14 8:36:26 Lionel Sanders
23 8:52:18 Jeffrey Symonds

As she has been all year, Daniela Ryf was simply unstoppable.

Ryf reigns supreme
Coming into Saturday’s Ironman World Championship there wasn’t a person on this island who wasn’t predicting an epic battle between Mirinda Carfrae and Daniela Ryf for the women’s title. Ryf, like Frodeno, was coming off a win in Frankfurt (European Championship) and a world 70.3 title (she was the defending champ), and seemed poised to move up a step on the podium here in Kona after her runner-up finish last year.

Rachel Joyce tries to keep cool on a hot Kona race day.

After leading out of the water and then hanging tough with a large lead group that included Ryf, Jodie Swallow was the only woman who could stay close to the Swiss star up to Hawi – she was 12 seconds behind – while a group of big name Ironman athletes including Mary-Beth Ellis, Camilla Pedersen, Annabel Luxford and Michelle Vesterby were just under two minutes back.

Coming down from Hawi, though, everything changed. (Well, for everyone except Ryf.) Swallow remained in second and would eventually come off the bike 7:20 down. The rest of the group including Pedersen, Vesterby, Angela Naeth, Rachel Joyce, Liz Blatchford, Annabel Luxford, Caroline Steffen and Lucy Gossage were up to 20:48 down.

Last year Ryf came off the bike over 14 minutes ahead of Carfrae, who then ran a 2:50 marathon to take the title. This year it was Ryf’s turn to run away with the championship. By the time she was done she won by almost 13 minutes over Joyce, Blatchford and Vesterby.

After a solid swim, Mirinda Carfrae had to pull out on the bike due to back issues after being hit by a car on Wednesday.

Carfrae was forced to pull out of the race on the way to Hawi thanks to injuries sustained on Wednesday when she was hit by a car.

The two Canadian pro women in the field had bad luck, too. Angela Naeth, who had ridden herself to a solid sixth place position, was forced to drop out after the bike thanks to a foot injury that forced her to limp through T1 earlier in the day. Heather Wurtele found herself dealing with issues to her rear derailleur, which meant she had to climb the steepest hill on the course (up Palani Road) in her hardest gear and was also forced to drop out.

Ryf probably was untouchable on this day, anyway, as she cruised through the marathon to take her second world title by a wide margin over Joyce (a second runner up finish), who was followed by Blatchford (who claimed her second third place finish here, too).

Top 10 Pro Women – Finish
1 8:57:57 Daniela Ryf
2 9:10:59 Rachel Joyce
3 9:14:52 Liz Blatchford
4 9:18:50 Michelle Vesterby
5 9:21:45 Heather Jackson
6 9:23:50 Susie Cheetham
7 9:24:32 Sarah Piampiano
8 9:25:41 Camilla Pedersen
9 9:27:54 Caroline Steffen
10 9:28:36 Lucy Gossage

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Kevin Mackinnon

The post McMahon Gets Top 10 in Kona appeared first on Triathlon Magazine Canada.

Liz Blatchford finished third at the Ironman World Championship this year and in 2013 – both times after a great race at Ironman Mont-Tremblant.

The race organizers in Mont-Tremblant should expect to see Australia’s Liz Blatchford at the start line next year based on her current track record – in 2013 she finished fourth at the Quebec event and went on to a third place finish in Kona. In 2014 she skipped Mont-Tremblant and struggled on the Big Island, finishing 10th. This year she returned to Tremblant, finishing a close second to the same woman who won two years before, Mary Beth Ellis, and returned to the podium on the Big Island with another third place finish.

“I don’t know if it’s typical, but it worked in 2013, so I hope it works again this year,” Blatchford said in an interview before the world championship. That year Blatchford needed to have a good race in Tremblant just to make it to the world championship – her win in Cairns a few months earlier hadn’t netted her enough qualifying points to get a spot on the start line.

Her third place finish in Kona on debut put her in the spotlight as a potential winner of the race, which piled on the pressure as she prepared for the 2014 event.

“I felt the pressure last year – I thought the only way was up, and it didn’t turn out the way I wanted and I had, what I felt was a disappointing race, finishing 10th. That took the pressure off this year.”

Liz Blatchford has found the key to her Kona success starts in Mont-Tremblant.

Blatchford has enjoyed her time with the Uplace-BMC Pro Triathlon Team.

“The equipment is top-notch, the support – no stone is left unturned,” she says. “Around Kona it (being on the team) works so well, I see other athletes with eight to 10 sponsor appearances. We have just the one day where we have three hours of commitment. We’re not running around trying to fulfill sponsor requirements.”

A former world cup champion, Blatchford is yet another example of the balanced athletes who are entering the sport, capable of swimming at or near the front, then rounding the day out with a fast run after a solid ride. Blatchford was the fifth fastest woman in the water in Kona last week, and posted the fastest run of the day (3:06:25) to run her way from ninth to third during the marathon.

While she might not see her pre-Kona race prep as being typical, Blatchford is proving that you can have a great race in Mont-Tremblant in August and follow it up with a great day in Kona.

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Kevin Mackinnon

The post Liz Blatchford’s Canadian Connection appeared first on Triathlon Magazine Canada.

Photos by Kevin Mackinnon

As usual the Underpants Run, which raised money for local charities, was a huge hit. Canadians were in full force, including this crew: Nicolas Courville, Marc-Antoine Langlois, Julian Biboud and Teddy Jarrett.

Zack is back! Cycling legend Jurgen Zack took third in the men’s 50 -54 category.

Sportstats’ Marc Roy, from Ottawa, has been timing the Ironman World Championship for over a decade.

Jan Frodeno hosted a media event the Monday before the Ironman World Championship, which allowed media outlets a chance for a pre-race interview. During our interview he implied that he didn’t want to be the “one who won in Frankfurt and Zell, but couldn’t get it done at the big one.” He didn’t need to worry …

Legends: Michellie Jones and Lisa Bentley at a pre-race event.

Jordan Rapp’s hot ride … unfortunately the seat rails broke and he found himself struggling on the bike.

Andrzej Kozlowski did his first triathlon in King City 17 years ago – he’s come along way since those early days and is a two-time Kona competitor. He finished this year in 11:37.

A record number of bikes were on the pier in Kailua-Kona this year – over 2,300, including the largest women’s field in race history. 28 % of the field were women.

Jan Frodeno put his stamp on the race from the start of the swim, and took a commanding lead early in the bike.

Out with the lead group, Brent McMahon was in a perfect position starting the bike.

Controversy reigned for Lionel Sanders during the swim as he was paced by Matt Chrabot. He still ended up into T1 over 11 minutes behind the leaders.

Mirinda Carfrae would eventually pull out due the effects of being hit by a car a few days before the race.

Angela Naeth had a great swim and the day’s second fastest bike, but had to pull out before the run due to a foot injury.

Frodeno pushed through the latter stages of the bike to come off with a lead he would never relinquish.

Still in the mix, Brent McMahon was only minutes behind starting the run, but would struggle during the marathon.

A flat tire derailed Andreas Raelert for part of the bike, but the German was able to regroup and post his third runner-up finish in Kona.

Daniela Ryf was simply unstoppable as she stormed to a commanding lead during the bike and never looked back.

Michelle Vesterby finally had the race that has eluded her so far in Kona, finishing an impressive fourth.

Rachel Joyce can’t buy a break at the Ironman World Championship – on a day when Mirinda Carfrae finally falters, she has Daniela Ryf to contend with. She is nothing if not consistent, though, taking another runner-up finish this year.

Brent McMahon hung tough to take ninth.

Lionel Sanders biked and ran his way to an 14th-place finish.

Another Swiss “Queen of Kona,” Daniela Ryf dominated the day, just like her countrywoman Natascha Badmann did on six occasions in Kona.

Motor sports legend Alex Zinardi flew through the race in 9:40

Tim O’Donnell had the race of his life to take third.

A class act: Jeff Symonds was all smiles after the race, despite having to ride 30 km with just one leg after his crank came off. He finished 23rd.

Doing Canada proud: Jeff Symonds and Brent McMahon.

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Kevin Mackinnon

The post Kona Photo Gallery: Looking Back at a Unique Week appeared first on Triathlon Magazine Canada.

American age group phenomenon Ellen Hart captured her fifth world championship in a six week stretch on the weekend.

by Kevin Mackinnon, Photo by Lee Gruenfeld

Jan Frodeno and Daniela Ryf might have taken both the Ironman 70.3 and Ironman world titles this year, but 57-year-old Ellen Hart, from Denver, Colorado, just did them three better. In addition to winning the women’s 55 to 59 category in Zell am See-Kaprun, Austria (70.3 worlds), Hart journeyed to Chicago last month to compete in the sprint- and standard-distance world championships at the ITU Grand Final. She took the sprint title on Thursday, then followed that up with the Olympic-distance championship on the Saturday. A few weeks later it was off to Kona where, you guessed it, Hart took her second consecutive age-group Kona title (she won a third in 2010). Then it was off to Adelaide, Australia, for the world duathlon championships, which rounded out her stellar six weeks and five world championships.

Last year Hart arrived in Mont-Tremblant trying to overcome a knee injury that had kept her from running for months. She surprised herself with a win in Quebec, then followed that up by winning her age group in Kona, too. This year she topped that impressive season, and then some.

Hart’s journey to the top of the age group ranks hasn’t been an easy one. In 1980 Hart finished third at the US Olympic trials in the 10,000 m, which was to be run as an exhibition at the Olympic games that year. Shortly after that the US would boycott the Moscow games, dashing her dreams of competing at the Olympics. Four years later Hart was back on the line at the Olympic trials, this time in the marathon and as the reigning world record holder over 20 km and the American 30 km record holder.

In addition to all those running feats, Hart had managed to graduate from law school and get herself a job at one of Denver’s most prestigious law firms. As if that wasn’t enough Hart married Denver’s mayor, Frederico Pena, who would eventually become a cabinet member in President Bill Clinton’s administration.

Hart managed to juggle all this despite the fact that she was dealing with an eating disorder that had begun when one of her college coaches told her she needed to lose weight. Like so many “type-A” high achievers, Hart took the coaches words to heart and became a “high-functioning” bulimic. It wasn’t until she became pregnant with the first of her three children that she managed to get a handle on the disease. (In 1996 Hart’s story was made into a movie “Dying to be Perfect: The Ellen Hart Pena Story.”)

Like so many runners, Hart gravitated to triathlon thanks to a running injury – plantar fasciitis that sidelined her for a couple of years. Her husband bought her a bike and, even though she dislocated her shoulder on her first ride, she quickly became hooked. She added swimming to the mix and did her first triathlon in 2007. By 2008 she had qualified for Kona, and would take her first age group title a couple of years later.

After she took the Ironman title last year Hart said she was going to take a break from full-distance racing, but returned in style this year. At the pool in Kailua-Kona last Monday, just before she was going to get on a plane and head to Australia, Hart repeated that mantra, saying she was going to take a break from full distance racing to give her body a break. (The irony of her saying that as she was off to another world championship, just a week after the Ironman, seemed to escape her.)

Whether she heads back to Kona or not, Hart has certainly set a record over the last six weeks, dominating so many different facets of the sport. One has to wonder if her Timex Multisport team-mates are trying to convince her to stop in Maui this weekend to take on the Xterra world championship, too.

Five is probably more than enough, though, and she really does deserve that break.

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Kevin Mackinnon

The post Ellen Hart Makes it Five appeared first on Triathlon Magazine Canada.

Brent McMahon couldn’t have found a better advisor to help him through his debut race at the Ironman World Championship – providing mentorship support for the Canadian Olympian this year was former third -lace Kona finisher (and 11-time Ironman champ) Lisa Bentley.

This was Bentley’s 15^th year on the Big Island. She wasn’t in Hawaii last year, and was happy to be back for this year’s world championship.

“The truth about our sport, it’s not just your career at one time, it’s your family and friends,” the ever-positive Bentley said. “And when you want to see them all at one time and have a Thanksgiving dinner all together, you come to Hawaii.”

Bentley wasn’t just catching up with old acquaintances this trip, though. She was providing some helpful mentorship for McMahon, who, along with Lionel Sanders and Jeff Symonds, arrived in Kona with a legitimate shot at a top-10 (or even higher) finish this year. McMahon is coached by the same man who helped her claim all of her Ironman and Ironman 70.3 titles (she won 11 of those, too), Lance Watson.

“My whole career I did my own management and sponsorship myself, so I know the comings and goings of sponsor relationships,” Bentley said in an interview during one of McMahon’s sponsorship appearances. “I feel like I had good relationships and still have great relationships, so it’s been kind of fun to share that with Brent and be part of his career. He’s a good person – if I can be even a tiny part of helping him, even if it’s a smile in the morning and calming him down, then I am happy to take that job.”

One of the biggest challenges for the top pros during race week before the Ironman World Championship is keeping up with all the sponsor commitments and other appearances required. Bentley is all too aware of those demands.

“It’s really important for the guys to decompartmentalize different things,” she said. They have to take care of their workouts – being the athlete. Then you have to do the job part, which is the business end of things – seeing your sponsors, shaking hands, signing autographs. All that can be a lot of fun, but it can be tiring. You have to remind yourself that this won’t last forever and there will be a time when people won’t want to see you and don’t want your autograph, so you need to enjoy it while it’s happening. Then there’s the down time, where you’re just sitting and resting.

Having competed in Kona as many times as she did, Bentley had some great advice for McMahon and any athlete taking on the challenge of the world’s toughest one-day endurance race:

“You have to embrace the conditions,” she said. “At the end of the day it’s Mother Nature’s course. Conditions don’t just change day to day, they change hour to hour. What you wake up to might not be what you ride into Hawi, and certainly won’t be what you ride back to in Kona. It’s really a matter of living in the moment. We hear that cliché all the time, but you have to ride the road your on and deal with this moment. Then there is nutrition. Nutrition is completely different here. What worked at Ironman Arizona or Ironman Brazil (McMahon’s first two Ironman races) will not work here. Have a back-up plan – an A, B, C plan. Mental preparation is also huge. You can be the fittest person on that start line and you’re not going to win this race unless you are a great problem solver and you have that mental backing that’s not going to quit. You’re going to have ups and downs. That’s the thing, to have more ups than downs, be positive and get to the finish line as best you can.”

McMahon must have heeded his mentor’s words on race day – after a perfect swim and bike he was in a perfect position to go after a podium finish. He struggled during the run, though, but hung tough for an impressive ninth-place finish

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Kevin Mackinnon

The post Learning from the Best: Lisa Bentley’s Kona Connection appeared first on Triathlon Magazine Canada.

Looking for a quick and efficient upper body circuit workout? Geared for both time efficiency and upper body strength, this circuit can be completed in 15 to 20 minutes and is a great way to get a strength workout down immediately after another aerobic-oriented session.

I modified this workout from a shoulder-specific set I had heard of a few years ago. Since so many of the athletes I coach are stressed for time, but also in need of some much-needed shoulder-strength workouts, I came up with this quick workout that combines both weight sets with own-body-weight exercises. A set of dumbells, an exercise ball and a bench are all you need. (Although, if you have access to a chin up bar, that is an option to add to the set, too.)

I typically program this set the day after a hard bike or run workout, so there is no leg work included.

Use dumbells ~ 5 – 15 lbs each
Do 10 reps of each in rapid succession:
Bench Press (back on exercise ball)
Upright rowing
Bicep curls
Shoulder press (sitting on ball)
Push ups on ball (elbows close to the body to emphasize the triceps)
Dips (feet on ball)
Tricep Extensions
Optional: Chin ups
Abdominal curl/ crunch on ball
Abdominal jackknife on ball

Take a 1:30 break then repeat one or two more times

Author information

Kevin Mackinnon

The post Workout Wednesday: Circuit for Time Crunched Athletes appeared first on Triathlon Magazine Canada.

They call it the most beautiful triathlon in the world and, while you could argue that there are some worthy rivals, there’s no arguing that the Nevis triathlon is set in one of the most stunning venues in our sport.

Story and photos by Kevin Mackinnon

The Nisbet Plantation was once the home of famous British Navy Captain Horatio Nelson. In the background is Mount Nevis, with the typical cloud cover.

Just a few kilometres from St. Kitts, Nevis is a tranquil island filled with high-end accommodations, incredible beaches, stunning scenery and a laid back atmosphere that is certain to leave you feeling rested and relaxed after your time on the island. In 1493, Christopher Columbus named the island “Nustra Senora de las Nieves” (Our Lady of the Snows) because of the white clouds that almost always surround the top of the mountain. That eventually got shortened to Nevis. The small island (93 km²) has a population of just 12,000, many of whom are aligned with the tourism industry and appear bound and determined to make sure your stay is a good one. The population is so small, and there’s so much untouched wilderness, that there are actually more green monkeys on the island than people. Once a major centre for the sugar industry, all of the island’s sugar plantations have closed, leaving tourism as the island’s main industry.

The volunteers, along with everyone else on the island, are determined to ensure you have a great race experience.

This year the 14^th running of the Nevis Triathlon, held on November 14^th, featured three events. The Nevis 73, or the “long course” race, featured a 1 km swim, 62 km bike and a 10 km run. The Nevis 37 was half the distance (500m swim, 31 km bike, 5 km run), while the Try a Tri race included a 100 m swim, 10 km bike and a 2.5 km run. It’s one of a series of endurance sports events that are designed to enhance tourism to the island. In September there’s a “Running Festival” which includes a 5 km, 10 km, half marathon and marathon. In March there’s a 4 km cross-channel swim between Nevis and St. Kitts, which will be held for the 15^th time next year.

While the field for the triathlon was small, there were three Canadians competing in this year’s race. One of those, Burlington’s Vanessa Gardiner, works for Scotiabank and made her first trip to Nevis in 2006 for business. She was here just before the triathlon and was intrigued by the hype leading up to the event. “If I ever do a triathlon,” she thought to herself, “this is the one I’ll do.”

Over the next few years Gardiner made another trip to the island and became more and more enthralled with the idyllic vacation spot. Then, in January, Gardiner decided she wanted to lose some weight and figured having a goal would be the best way to get herself motivated to do that. She decided she would do a triathlon and joined the Triathlon Club of Burlington to start training. She convinced her friend Kris Graci to join her, and promptly signed up for the race she’d promised herself she would begin her triathlon career with.

“It (Nevis) feels like home,” Gardiner said after completing this year’s Nevis 37. “There’s something about the people, there’s something about the island. When I was here I met a lot of the locals and went to a lot of the local restaurants … nothing is cookie cutter. Aside from the one resort hotel, everything is unique. I think that is what I like about it, it is a very unique island.”

Canadians Kris Graci and Vanessa Gardiner were on hand for the race in Nevis.

While Gardiner doesn’t work for the Nevis Tourism Authority, they would be wise to sign her up soon as an ambassador. Her take on Nevis is spot on – everything about the island, including the triathlon, is both unique, relaxing, welcoming and enjoyable. There are a few hotels (with a total of 396 rooms), but the biggest is the Four Seasons, which is the only resort of the chain in the Caribbean and the only “chain hotel” on the island. (Hopefully you’re finding as much humour in my identifying the Four Seasons as a “chain hotel” as I am.) In keeping with the high-end theme there are a number of luxurious “Plantation” resorts which offer exceptional accommodations and service in a truly unique environment. The Nisbet Plantation is the only one of the four plantation resorts with beach access and is renowned for its friendly staff who greet guests by name. (They’re not kidding, either – I arrived at breakfast to have a women I’d never seen before say “Good morning, Kevin! Congratulations on your race yesterday.”) Other smaller plantation resorts include the Montpelier and the Golden Rock Inn, which are every bit as beautiful, unique and welcoming, but are further up Mt. Nevis, which dominates landscape of the island. The other hotel I got to see during my weekend on the island was the Mount Nevis Hotel, another spot higher up on the island that offers an exceptional restaurant and a decent sized pool that would serve a triathlete well for training if he or she chose to take a break from the non-stop relaxing that seems to be the norm for visitors.

One of the numerous pools at the Four Seasons Resort.

Everything is extremely relaxing, tranquil and relaxing in Nevis, or so you think until you finish the beautiful triangular 500 m swim course (the long course folks do it twice) in the 80+ degree and clear, flat waters of Gallows Bay and start the bike. It’s not long before you are into the 5 km hill affectionately known as “Anaconda,” which has some steep sections, but is mostly difficult because it is so long. Once at the top of the climb, there’s a long decent followed by a rolling ride around the island (the long course race does two loops). For the most part the roads are in reasonable shape, but do get a bit rough for the last few miles of the loop. The run course is a relatively flat out and back from the race site in Charlestown to the entrance to the Four Seasons resort, again done twice for those in the long course race. The biggest challenge of the run is the heat, which even shortly after 8 AM is over 30 degrees Celsius. (The lowest temperature during race weekend was 26 C – the place is warm.)

Jason Costelloe took the men’s Nevis 73 title.

Fresh off a runner-up finish in the women’s 45-49 age group in Kona, Jane Hansom won the Nevis long course race and was second overall.

Getting to the island isn’t as easy as some other Caribbean destinations because the airport in Nevis can only accommodate smaller planes, but there are lots of options to get there. There are regular flights directly from San Juan, but it’s also pretty easy to fly to St. Kitts and take a water taxi over to the island – a five or six minute ride along the same route the swimmers will take in March for the channel swim. Most of the athletes competing in the race chose not to bring their own bikes, choosing instead to rent a bike from Winston Crooke from Wheel World Cycle Shop (bikenevis@gmail.com), the original Nevis Triathlon race director and a level two ITU official. While not exactly state of the art, the KHS bike Crooke provided for me did a great job of getting me through the course.

Winston Crooke, left, represents the Caribbean on the ITU board. Local Romel Caskin finished third in the Nevis 37.

Taking place on the second weekend in November, the Nevis Triathlon offers the ultimate opportunity to combine a unique triathlon event with one of the most intimate and pristine vacation spots in the world.

Find out more about Nevis and the Nevis Triathlon here.

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Kevin Mackinnon

The post Nevis: Triathlon’s Hidden Destination Gem appeared first on Triathlon Magazine Canada.

Kris Graci finally decided enough was enough. Over an 18 month period she’d lost nine important people in her life. She looked in the mirror and saw a woman who was in desperate need of a change. So she took to the gym, then started running. She’s never looked back.

Kris Graci

“I started running when I turned 50,” Graci said in an interview after last weekend’s Nevis Triathlon. “Before I turned 50 I had lost nine people in my life in a matter of 18 months … my mom passed away on March 28, 2011 and three weeks later my husband died. I attribute my healing time to running. I was over 200 pounds, almost a size 20, living a horrible lifestyle and not taking care of myself. I said “enough” and joined a gym. I started getting some weight off, then I joined the Running Room and started with the “Learn to Run 5 km program” in Stoney Creek.”

Graci’s adventurous nature quickly had her moving up through the running distances – once she got that 5 km run done, she figured she could set her sights much higher, and promptly signed up, and ran, the Cincinnati Pig, a challenging, hilly half marathon in Ohio.

It was the beginning of a love affair with endurance sports. She’s since gone on to run numerous half marathons and one marathon. Next April she’ll take on the Paris marathon, too.

Her journey to the world of triathlon also began through a running event. She was the highest fundraiser for the “Strides 10 K” race in Hamilton, a fundraiser for the Hamilton General Hospital, where the Stoney Creek native’s husband was treated. The prize? A road bike.

“My friends talked me into doing my very first duathlon in 2014,” Graci said. “I did three. I never thought I would do a tri because I couldn’t swim – I’ve never been able to put my head in the water. So I started swimming lessons … and then I did a sprint.”

Since taking on that first sprint distance event in June Graci managed to work her way up to an Olympic distance race by September, where she still managed to win her age group despite a bike crash that left her with a fractured rib and a bruised lung. Last weekend she took on the Nevis triathlon, convinced to do the race by her friend Vanessa Gardiner.

Canadians Kris Graci and Vanessa Gardiner were on hand for the race in Nevis.

“I panicked a little bit in the water, but I got around it,” she said. “The swim is amazing. Then you get on the bike … and it’s an incline for, what, a million miles? I live in Hamilton and Snake Road and Sydenham Road – they have nothing on this hill. They call it the Anaconda … it should be the dual Anaconda. But if you have the heart and the desire you can make it up, then you have the downhills and the beautiful views. The view when you’re coming down those hills is breathtaking.”

Graci doesn’t look to be slowing down on her endurance habit any time soon. The legal Assistant for Borden Ladner Gervais, a Bay Street law firm in Toronto, has a busy schedule set for 2016 that includes a number of running events and her first half Ironman in Muncie, Indiana.

There’s one event that will have to wait, though – a Ragnar race that she wanted to run in Hawaii conflicts with her daughter’s wedding.

There will no-doubt be lots of other races, though, most likely including the Nevis event one more time. As she packed up her gear in the transition, the outgoing Graci had already befriended another athlete from the island, who offered up a spot in her house for next year.

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Kevin Mackinnon

The post Age Group Inspiration: Kris Graci appeared first on Triathlon Magazine Canada.

At a time when electronic shifting has become “de rigueur,” especially in high-end bikes, it seems a bit crazy to talk about a system that, in essence, halves the number of gears you’ll have available to you, but after a few rides with SRAM’s 1X system, I can see why triathletes will likely be embracing this new gruppo on their bikes when it becomes available.

Jordan Rapp’s Dimond bike with SRAM 1X – race ready for Kona.

SRAM developed 1X for mountain biking four years ago. The idea was to get rid of the front derailleur, which is especially nice for off-road riders who were going over really rough terrain and having issues with their chains coming off at critical times.

(Just in case I’ve lost anyone, here’s a quick primer: the chainrings are the big “gears” you have up front next to your cranks. Most triathlon bikes will have two of those, which are changed by the front derailleur. Many tri bikes will come with a 42- and 53-tooth chainrings. The gears at the back of the bike, attached to your rear hub, are all part of your cassette, which often come in a range from 11 to 23, 25, 26 or 28 teeth. Those gears are changed by your rear derailleur.)

As opposed to a bike with a front derailleur, where the chain is designed to come off one chainring and shift to the other, SRAM engineered a special front chainring for the 1X system that ensures the chain always stays on. It’s not just a regular front chainring with the inside ring taken off. Cyclocross riders, who typically go over rough terrain and constantly pick their bikes up and then hammer them down on the ground, were quick to pick up on 1X. Considering all the times I’ve seen triathletes struggle with a lost chain during races – having a component system that is designed to keep the chain on at all times makes a lot of sense for them, too.

This all sounds good, but I know what you’re all thinking: you don’t live in Florida and have to get up hills all the time. You need more gears. Turns out that’s not as much of an issue as you’d think. First off, the 1X system offers you lots of gear options – when push comes to shove, you can get pretty much the same hard and easy gears you have on your bike now. Also, when you think about it, how often do you find yourself facing a major climb in a triathlon? Triathlon race directors tend to shy away from extremely challenging and technical bike courses because they know that will deter many of their potential customers. Also, many triathletes will often use a road bike for their really challenging rides and have a tri bike for races and flatter, faster efforts.

In order to be able to make all this work, SRAM had to come up with a way to give riders enough gears on their cassette so that they could get away with having just the one chainring up front and still have all the gearing they would need to climb and descend hills. They developed a new derailleur system with a somewhat beefier cage with more tension (it keeps the chain tighter) that could handle a much wider gear range and, combined with the specially designed front chainring, works to keep the chain on.

Jordan Rapp’s bike with SRAM’s 1X system. He rode a 54-tooth chainring and used an 11-30 cassette.

An added bonus for triathletes is there’s an improvement in aerodynamics and a drop in weight without the front derailleur and one of the chainrings. In practice the weight savings aren’t that significant – the real benefits to this system is the simplicity. The chain stays on, shifting is very sharp and you never have to worry about trimming (adjusting) your front derailleur. (Of course, if you’re using Shimano’s Di2 electronic shifting, you also don’t have to worry about trimming the front derailleur – the system does that for you. SRAM uses what they call “yaw” in their front derailleurs to take care of any chain rub, too.)

There’s all the theory. How does this really work in practice? In a word: great. SRAM shipped off three different cassette options for me to use: 11-26, 11-28 and 11-32, all combined with a 54-tooth chainring. (I had the option of using a 52-tooth chainring, but since I typically ride a 55 up front, I wanted to have something as close to that as possible.) I’ve yet to try anything other than the 11-26 so far, which has been more than ample for me to get up all the climbs around my home in Hamilton, Ontario. I also got the bike out for numerous rides during a trip to the Bahamas, which was mostly flat, where I really got to enjoy the benefits of the 1X system. I tend to be a “grinder” – I push big gears when I ride – so it comes as no surprise that I’m liking the 11-26 option. If you’re even remotely worried about not having enough gears to get through even the toughest of courses, relax – the chainrings come in two-tooth increments from 38 to 54, and SRAM offers up to an 11-36 cassette option (and there’s talk of creating some road hubs that will eventually allow people to use a 10-42 cassette that’s available for mountain bikes) which should get you up pretty much any climb.

Shifting really is very precise and there is absolutely no chain bounce, even on the roughest terrain. While others were trying to make rapid changes over rolling terrain from big to small chainrings (or vice versa), I was able to use just the one shifter to get it all done.

There are some downsides. You don’t have as many gear options without that second chainring and, because there is a bigger range in your cassette, you’ll find there are some jumps between gears that you might not be used to, especially on the easy end of things. That’s not so noticeable on a flatter ride where you’re using some of your harder gears, but once you start climbing you’ll find that you don’t have quite as much choice. 1X is also only available as part of SRAM’s Rival or Force group sets, not the top of the line Red gruppo. The only real difference between the Red and Force derailleurs is weight, and overall the 1X system is a bit lighter, so that shouldn’t be a deal breaker, but us triathletes tend to have a thing for “top of the line” components.

You’ll have to decide if that’s a deal breaker for you when it comes to the 1X system, but my guess is that for most triathletes it really won’t be. Jordan Rapp is a huge proponent of the 1X system, and scorched the field on the bike in Mont-Tremblant (a course which is considered to have some challenging climbs) on it last August, setting a new bike course record along the way.

If you’re not ready to anti-up for an electronic system and won’t be taking on any events through the Rockies or the Alps in the foreseeable future, SRAM’s 1X system might be for you.

Next week I’ll write about some specific rides I’ve done with the 1X components.

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Kevin Mackinnon

The post SRAM 1X: Triathlon Ready appeared first on Triathlon Magazine Canada.

Just ’cause it’s cross country season doesn’t mean you can’t have some fun playing with some speed. Try this speed session that combines anaerobic threshold intervals and tempo running for an efficient, but tough, fall workout.

I’ve always been a big proponent of anaerobic threshold (AT) workouts – intervals done at about an 85 percent effort with very short recovery – because I find they are a great simulation for the discomfort you have to deal with during a race situation.

I know that there will be a bunch of exercise physiologists who will cringe at my oversimplified description, but your AT is basically the point at which you stop working aerobically and start using glycogen as your main energy source. (When you’re working aerobically, fat is your main energy source.) Triathletes, especially, need to spend a lot of time working on their AT because, in many ways, it’s the deciding factor in their race success. The longer, and faster, you can push in a race while still working aerobically, the better off you’ll be.

I came up with this running set as a way to combine an AT session with a bit of tempo running. It is basically a bunch of broken one mile intervals. Before you start you need to make sure you do a good warm up, and I like to have my athletes build through the first set, using it as an extended warm up before pushing the remaining sets in the workout. Ideally you would do this set on grass or a gravel path or track. This time of year we typically have to hit a paved trail that’s lit, but at least marked in 200 m increments.

Warm up: 10 to 15 mins

Main set:

4 x 200m with a short recovery (typically on 1:30 for the first set, then decreasing for the subsequent sets.)

1 x 800 m tempo (XC race pace)

2 MRI (minutes rest interval) between sets.

Warm down: 10 to 15 mins

The runners in my group will do the first set of 200s in about 40 to 50 seconds, giving them about the same time to recover before they start again. We reduce the time for the subsequent sets – the four 200s are on 1:15 for the second set, 1:00 for the third. Ideally, other than the first set of 200s, which should be a bit slower, you should hold the same pace for all of the 200s, and the tempo runs, throughout the set.

As a cross country prep set we typically do three to five sets.

You can modify this set as preparation for a longer race, too, if you’d like, by adding some more 200s and making the tempo run longer and at that goal race pace. So, if you were getting ready for a marathon, you might want to do sets of 8 x 200 followed by a 1 mile tempo run.

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Kevin Mackinnon

The post Workout Wednesday: AT/ Tempo Run Intervals appeared first on Triathlon Magazine Canada.

John Wragg did his first Ironman race in 1988. Today he did his 200^th, finishing Ironman Cozumel in 14:42:28.

The 65-year-old from Mississauga, Ontario, got his start in the sport after participating in a small event organized by a fitness club in Toronto in 1986, and it didn’t take long for the former competitive swimmer (he “ran a bit of track” in high school) took to the sport in a hurry. He did his first Ironman in New Zealand in 1988 and remembers challenging one of his buddies to do all the official Ironman races around the world that year … all five of them: New Zealand, Japan, Germany, Canada and the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii. By the time he reached Hawaii that year, he was completely “blown out. In horrible shape,” he said in an interview a few years ago. “I have a lot of personal worsts … and that first trip to Hawaii in ’88 is definitely one of them.”

Five km from the finish line, Wragg was “pushing 15 hours.” The medical truck hovered next to him. He remembers seeing a pair of Oakley sunglasses on the ground and wanting to pick them up, but thinking that if he bent over at that moment, he’d fall down and stay down. “It was just a matter of putting one foot in front of the other,” he remembered.

He’s since gone on to compete in every Ironman race in the world and competed in endurance events on six different continents. Five events in a year is a piece of cake compared to his current schedule. By 2003, when he competed in his 10^th Ironman World Championship in Kona, he’d done 60 Ironmans. I got to watch him finish #100 in Malaysia in 2008. Over the next seven years he would average over 14 Ironman races a year, culminating in his hitting the double century mark tonight in Mexico.

Wragg’s best time at an Ironman came in Germany in 1993, when he broke the ten-hour barrier with a 9:56. During his career the 65-year-old has swam 772.5 km (480 miles), biked 36049.3 km (22400 miles) and ran/power-walked 8433 km (5240 miles) – and that’s just in the races, not the training required to maintain that incredible consistency. What makes this feat even more incredible is that in 2008 Wragg was hit by a car and would need to get his hip replaced. He finished Ironman Canada just a few months after the accident.

“I think the secret is to be with someone who does the same thing,” he told me in an interview in 2003. “If you’re both going in opposite directions, it doesn’t work. I think you both have to be doing tris, or it doesn’t work out.”

John Wragg and Elizabeth Model. Photo: Kevin Mackinnon

A few years after that he would find that “someone who does the same thing” in the form of his wife, Elizabeth Model. The two met in the food tent at Ironman Arizona in 2006 and have since crossed the finish line together 14 different times, including one unforgettable night in Kona. Since that 100^th race in Malaysia, Model and Wragg wear matching Ironman rings and Model was by his side again at the finish line in Cozumel.

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Kevin Mackinnon

The post Number 200 for John Wragg appeared first on Triathlon Magazine Canada.

While attending the official press conference to launch Ironman 70.3 Cartagena, we got the chance to check out Cartagena, one of South America’s hidden gems.

Story and photos by Kevin Mackinnon

Combining the charm of ancient Spanish architecture in the spectacular old city with the upscale luxury of the trendy Bocagrande neighbourhood and beautiful beaches, Cartagena now offers triathletes the chance to combine a race with a unique holiday in one of Colombia’s most popular tourist destinations. Ironman 70.3 Cartagena takes place for the first time on December 4, 2016 and offers athletes a chance to check out beautiful Colombia.

I was invited to check out the official race announcement, along with some of Cartagena’s tourism highlights by ProColombia, “the government entity in charge of promoting international tourism, foreign investment, exports from Colombia and the country brand.” When it comes to tourism, ProColombia spends the majority of its time bringing journalists and travel agents to Colombia and showing them that the country is much safer than many in North America have in their heads. A quick look on the government of Canada travel website (travel.gc.ca) warn against travel to many rural areas in Colombia, for example, but travel to major centres such as Bogota or Cartegena need not be of concern.

The folks at ProColombia are good at their jobs – the trip, while quick, proved to be an enjoyable one and proved their point in Cartagena, anyway. I would have no qualms returning there again or suggesting to anyone they make the trip. I recommend a trip to this beautiful city to anyone who is looking for a change of pace from any of the traditional vacation spots.

Day 1:

Cartagena is about a two and a half hour flight from Miami. There are direct flights from Toronto to Bogota, too. My itinerary included a flight from Toronto to Bogota, followed by a short flight from there to Cartagena. The flight left Toronto at 8:15 and arrived in Bogota at 2:10. The flight from Bogota left at 4:30 and got us in to Cartagena just after 6 pm. It is a full day of flying to get there, but considering the temperature was still well in the 20s (Celsius) it was nice escape from the cooler temperatures at home at the beginning of December.

The Hotel Radisson Cartagena.

ProColombia set me up at the Radisson hotel in Cartagena. The hotel is right on the beach and has a spectacular endless pool, a nice restaurant and is an easy taxi ride to the old city. It only takes a few minutes to get from the airport to the hotel, so by 7:30 pm I was showered and downstairs in the hotel restaurant enjoying some dinner and getting ready for an early night.

Day 2:

There are lots of great activities that will keep everyone busy.

I started the morning off with a short run on the beach outside the Radisson. There were lots of people out enjoying the “cooler” part of the day on the beach – even at 6 AM the temperature had to have been in the mid 20s.

The statue outside the convention centre, where registration and the expo will take place for the Ironman 70.3 race.

After a quick breakfast I was met by the ProColombia representatives and whisked downtown for the official announcement of the new Ironman 70.3 race. From there myself and another journalist were given the chance to head over to the Hotel Caribe, which is near the posh Bocagrande district, and have a quick swim in the hotel’s beautiful pool. The Caribe is a unique spot – in addition to the classic looking surroundings, lots of wild animals roam around the hotel grounds – during the swim a deer cruised by, and as we left we got to seem some of the beautiful birds that abound around the hotel.

The beautiful Hotel Caribe.

There’s an abundance of wildlife on the scenic grounds of the Caribe Hotel.

Next on the agenda was a trip into the old city, where we had lunch at Agua de Mar. This unique restaurant was started by “Mar” herself two years ago. A former business journalist from Spain, she decided she wanted a complete change in her life and started up a restaurant that serves Tapas with unique combinations. The meal was outstanding. The restaurant also features a unique gin bar that offers some exotic drinks – again that feature unique combinations of fruits and spices for a one of a kind dinner experience.

Mar Alonso, the owner of Agua de Mar

Some of the unique drinks available at the Gin Bar at Agua de Mar

Keeping us moving along, our ProColombia guide then had us off for a tour of the spectacular old city of Cartagena, including some of the forts and also offering a chance to check out parts of the 11 km of wall that was built to protect the old city from pirates during the 17th and 18th centuries.

The beautiful cathedral in the old city.

One of the unique markets in the old city – Artesanias San Martin.

Some of the unique statues that were part of the tour of the old city provided by Tours Fernanditos Way. Check out their website to book a tour – www.toursfernanditosway.com

The day ended with another spectacular meal in the old city before our hosts got us back to the hotel for another good nights sleep before day three of the whirlwind tour.

The bustling old city.

Day 3:

Determined to provide as full an experience of this beautiful area as possible, the ProColombia crew picked us up at 8 AM and took us out to the dock for our boat transportation to the beautiful Hotel San Pedro de Majagua, another unique hotel that is on one of the Rosario Islands, close to Isla Grande Beach and the Rosario Islands Oceanarium. The hotel experience offers some great white sandy beaches and the chance to take in scuba diving or snorkeling.

The boat ride was about an hour, and along the way we got to check out some more of the ancient forts that once protected Cartagena, and also got to see the beautiful city scape of the modern city.

Cartegena’s spectacular city scape illustrates the mix of classic and modern architecture in the city.

Another of the forts that once protected Cartagena from pirates.

One of the beaches at the Hotel San Pedro de Majagua

The beautiful Rosario Islands are about an hour’s boat ride from Cartagena.

It’s easy to relax at the Hotel San Pedro de Majagua

Day three ended with a few minutes at the beach getting to watch the spectacular sunset before heading off for another excellent dinner in the old city. The next morning was another early start – this time back to the airport and home. My flight path this time went through Miami, once again proving to be a full day’s worth of flying.

While it was a whirlwind trip, I certainly had enough time to be convinced that Cartagena offers a wonderful vacation opportunity that combines the beauty of Caribbean beaches with the romance and charm of Cartegena’s spectacular old city. The trip was enough to wet my appetite and leave me wanting to return, for sure. For those looking for a chance to combine a tough (while the 70.3 course will be relatively flat, it is going to be hot!) race with a fantastic, unique vacation, Cartagena is definitely worth a look.

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Kevin Mackinnon

The post 60 Hours in Cartegena appeared first on Triathlon Magazine Canada.

Triathletes are no strangers to the challenges of getting to their optimal race weight. Some athletes can achieve the demanded lightness healthfully; others get into trouble. Nancy Clarke offers some tips on how to best achieve your weight goals without jeopardizing your health.

It is no secret that disordered eating is common among weight-conscious athletes. An estimated 30-60% of active women and 19% of active men struggle with finding the right balance of food and body-fatness. Their quest to be light easily leads to restrictive food intake, over-exercising and too little fuel to support normal body functions. In women, strict diets trigger amenorrhea —loss of regular menstrual periods. While some women seem content to get rid of that monthly hassle, they lack knowledge that amenorrhea leads to weaker bones, a higher risk of stress fractures (today) and early osteoporosis (in the future). It’s hard to be an athlete when your skeleton won’t support your goals.

While the combination of amenorrhea, disordered eating, and stress fractures has been dubbed “The Female Athlete Triad,” today’s sports medicine professionals acknowledge that men also experience medical issues. For example, a study of competitive male cyclists suggests as many as 25% had osteopenia (the early stages of osteoporosis) and 9% had full-blown osteoporosis (low bone density); the exact cause is unclear.

Up to 94% of elite athletes who participate in weight sensitive sports report dieting and using extreme weight control measures to achieve their desired weight. They commonly experience dizzy spells, needless fatigue, headaches, constipation and poor sleep. Symptoms of long-term under-eating include hair loss, dangerously low heart rate (<40 beats/minute), electrolyte imbalance, constipation, anemia, stress fractures, social withdrawal, insomnia, mood swings and inability to concentrate well—to say nothing of poor performance.

After all, you can only perform at your best if you can train at your best. You can only train at your best if you are doing a good job of fueling up before training and refueling well afterwards. Long-term food restriction can easily lead to medical complications that involve the whole body: intestines, heart, hormones, reproductive system, bones, kidneys and brain. It creates psychological stress & depression.

Hence, athletes who need to make weight should take the job seriously—not simply resort to starving and dehydrating their bodies pre-event.

Here are tips to help you make weight healthfully:

Obviously, the best time to lose weight is during the off-season. But athletes, being human, often procrastinate until the last minute to complete this task.
Avoid losing more than 2% of your body weight via pre-event dehydration. That’s 3 lbs. for a 150-lb athlete.
Find a health professional who can monitor your body fat. If you are a man, do not drop below 5% body fat. Women shouldn’t drop below 12% fat.
Do not eat less than your resting metabolic rate (RMR), the energy needed for your heart, organs and brain to function. A rough estimate for RMR is body weight times 10 calories per pound. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, you need about 1,500 calories to simply breathe and be alive. That’s the equivalent of three 500-calorie meals—plus you need more for daily activities and sports. A registered dietitian (RD) can calculate the right calorie budget. Use the referral network at SCANdpg.org to find your local “food coach/RD.”
Simpler yet, knock off 400 to 800 calories from your typical day’s intake. Deleting two beers (300 calories) and a granola bar (200 cals) could be an easy start to weight loss.
To minimize loss of muscle, be sure to consume 20 to 30 grams of protein every 3-4 hours, depending on your body size (more precisely, 0.7 to 1 g pro/lb body wt; 1.5 to 2.0 g Pro/kg). That means, 3 eggs for breakfast, 2 (6-oz) tubs of Greek yogurt mid-morning, a can of tuna for lunch, 1 cup cottage cheese mid-afternoon, and a chicken breast for dinner.
Include carbohydrates to fuel your muscles! Target 1.5 g carb/lb body weight (3 g carb/kg). For a 150-pound athlete, that means 225 grams of carbs (900 calories), preferably more. Divided into meals and snacks, that 60 g carb/meal and 30 g each for a morning and mid-afternoon snack.
Include a little fat in each meal to add satiety (keep you feeling fed), as well as to absorb vitamins A, D, E and K. Choose nutrient-dense fats, such as avocado, peanut butter, almonds and salmon.
Surround your workout with fuel. That is, eat part or all of your breakfast before you train, so that you have the energy to exercise meaningfully. Include both carbs (to fuel the workout) and protein (to minimize muscle breakdown). This could be oatmeal with milk and raisins before you workout;
eggs with toast afterwards.
Plan to eat recovery foods soon after you train. To avoid extra calories, simply back your training into a meal. That is, if you train from 3:00 to 5:00 in the afternoon, eat dinner right way (as opposed to recovery food at 5:00, and dinner at 7:00).
To help prevent eating disorders and over-focusing on weight, try to keep your whole life in balance.
Your whole identity should not be based on being an athlete, but rather on being a person who is athletic and has other interests. After all, if you identify yourself as a marathoner, who will
you be if you get badly injured and cannot run?
If you wonder if you have crossed the line and have an eating disorder, take this little quiz: http://ow.ly/VBZxK. If you answer yes to 2 of the 5 questions, seek help from a sports dietitian.

Here’s to healthful weight management!

Sports nutritionist Nancy Clark MS RD CSSD has a private practice in the Boston-area (Newton; 617-795-1875), where she helps both fitness exercisers and competitive athletes create winning food plans. Her bestselling Sports Nutrition Guidebook, and food guides for runners, cyclists and soccer players, as well as teaching materials, are available at nancyclarkrd.com. For workshops: NutritionSportsExerciseCEUs.com

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Kevin Mackinnon

The post Lose Weight Healthfully appeared first on Triathlon Magazine Canada.

Nicole Deboom had an epiphany while training for a triathlon—and she ran with it. Deboom, a professional triathlete who won Ironman Wisconsin in 2004 (and is the wife of two-time Ironman world champ Tim Deboom), saw her whole life change when she started her own business, Skirt Sports. And the skirt fit.

by Joe De Sena, Founder of Spartan Race

Nicole Deboom wins Ironman Wisconsin. Photo courtesy skirtsports.com

Here’s what she had to say about starting a business from nothing but a great idea:

1) Just get it done. Nicole was training one winter and ran past her reflection in a window. She realized how uninspired she was by the way she dressed while exercising. “I had an epiphany run,” she told me. “Which, I think happens to a lot of people—they just don’t do anything about it.” But Nicole did do something about it. She immediately went home and started brainstorming in her journal. Nicole said, “I wrote the word ‘pretty’ and thought: I want to start a women’s clothing line that’s sassy. Something totally different.” Not long after, Nicole had a prototype made for a running skirt. She wore the prototype when she competed in an Ironman in 2004, and the rest was history. “I heard the crowd shouting, ‘it’s the skirt!’ as I passed. I won the race: my one and only Ironman.”

2) Keep Focused: No junk miles. Nicole brainstorms in a unique way. She writes down a lot of ideas, and then narrows it all down to one. For example, she knew she wanted to start a women’s clothing line that made women feel good about themselves, but her idea was too broad. “My husband brought me back to reality” she told me. “He said, I think you should focus on that one thing in that little scribbled notebook of yours that really epitomizes the concept. So I said, ‘oh, it’s a skirt!’ No one’s ever done it before.” The idea of eliminating “junk miles” is an important one. It is the difference between success and failure. To succeed, you need to block out all the noise. Focus on chasing the deer to get the food.

3) Keep going and have a flexible mindset. Take everything one step at a time and don’t plan too far into the future. Nicole takes an “aid-station approach” to business. “If you start thinking, ‘I’m going to do mile 26,’ you’re not going to get there,” Nicole said to me. “You have to get to mile 1, 2 and 3. And you stop, you take a drink, you slow down a little. You reassess and make sure you’re on the right track. Keep going; make adjustments if necessary.” Remember to focus on the journey to the finish line. Don’t focus on crossing it until you get there. A long plan for the future means more time to talk yourself out of it. Nicole told me that you need to have a flexible mindset. Don’t make predictions about who your customer is, for example. Take everything one mile at a time.

4) Be comfortable with discomfort. Being a business owner is not easy. It takes a lot of time, costs a lot of money and usually does not go as planned. To be successful, you need to get comfortable with not knowing everything. Nicole suggests being comfortable with the discomfort of being wrong. “It’s just like training and racing,” she told me. “You’re out there, you’re pushing, but you’re kind of in this comfortable discomfort zone.”

5) Know in your heart and mind that it’s going to work. If you don’t believe you’re going to make it, you won’t. If you’re not passionate about what you’re doing, you won’t be giving it your all. Giving 100% is necessary to success. Nicole said “if there is any doubt whatsoever, you don’t even need to take one step down the path. Because if you don’t believe in it 100% you’re not going to make it. That’s my little secret.” Nicole’s business is so successful because she loves what she does and gives every day her all. She treats her business like a competition, and she has her eye on the prize.

6) Not everyone will love your product. Keep your head up. Nicole faced some backlash for her running skirt. “If you look back at forums, people were up in arms,” Nicole told me. “They didn’t think it was for serious athletes…and there were women who said, ‘Why should I have to care about how I look?’ And I said, I don’t care if you care—I just want to look good for myself.” But there will be people who love what you do. “There were so many women out there who said, I’m with you Nicole, what took you so long?” Don’t be discouraged by the people who aren’t big fans of what you do. It happens to everyone. Keep going and be encouraged by the people who support you.

Nicole wakes up at 5am and just gets it done; she doesn’t take no for an answer. She bites off bite-sized pieces and doesn’t look out so far that it’s daunting. She does her work with 100% of her heart and gets organized, no junk miles. Being an entrepreneur is difficult, but with the right tools, you are guaranteed to perform your best.

Obstacle race series Spartan Race had more than a million participants in 2015.

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Kevin Mackinnon

The post 6 Things Wearing a Skirt Taught Me appeared first on Triathlon Magazine Canada.

A 10 m draft zone for standard distance (and shorter) races and a new water safety standard (12C) highlight the new 2016 ITU Competition Rules, which will take effect on January 15, 2016. Here are some of the highlighted changes in the new rule book:

Canadian Officials John McKibbon and Yan Therien at the ITU Grand Final in Chicago in September. Photos: Kevin Mackinnon

• The drafting distances has been adjusted to 10 metres for events that are standard distance and shorter. The drafting distance for middle and long distances will be 12 metres.

• Following the outcome of research from the Portsmouth University, water safety standards have been lowered from 13C to 12C.

• Rules for appeals have been updated to reflect the decision that an independent Arbitration Tribunal will review cases.

• Beginning in 2017, a pre-participation evaluation report, including ECG, will be mandatory for all junior athletes.

• Inclusion of the possibility of a rolling start system rules for Age Group Long Distance events, which eliminates a mass start to avoid potentially dangerous swimming situations.

• ITU has adopted the IOC guidelines on transgender athletes.

• Vision impaired Paratriathletes will now be required to wear blackout glasses throughout the competition.

• Vision impaired Paratriathletes will now have a standardized tether during the swim, produced and provided by ITU.

• Clarification on the use of uniforms and sponsors logos for Elite, Paratriathletes and Age Groupers has been included.

• ITU has now included Aquabike rules into its competition rulebook.

For the 2015 ITU Competition Rules, which includes the 2015 Paratriathlon Classification Rules, click here.

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Kevin Mackinnon

The post ITU Competition Rules appeared first on Triathlon Magazine Canada.

The International Triathlon Union (ITU) has confirmed the 2016 schedule, including the addition of a new World Cup Winter Triathlon in Quebec in Februray, along with three other events in Canada.

Ottawa will host a CAMTRI American Cup on July 23 and 24, Montreal hosts an ITU Triathlon World Cup event on August 6 and 7, while Edmonton once again serves as an ITU World Triathlon host on September 3 and 4.

Here is the announcement that includes the complete calendar for 2016 including the top tier World Triathlon Series, the full paratriathlon schedule, all multisport World Championships, the World Cup circuit, as well as Continental Cups and Championship events.

“Next year is very important for ITU, as our athletes turn their attention towards Rio in hopes of making their Olympic dreams come true,” said ITU President and IOC Member Marisol Casado. “This calendar of events will offer athletes the opportunity to realize those dreams, as well as grow the sport around the world.”

Athletes compete at the ITU Grand Final in Chicago. Photos: Kevin Mackinnon

While the World Triathlon Series and World Cup calendars were announced earlier in the year, one additional event has been added to the schedule of World Cups with Cagliari, Italy to be contested on May 7-8, 2016.

In addition to the seven World Paratriathlon Events, a stand-alone Paratriathlon World Championships and five Continental Championships will also be held in this historically important year for paratriathlon, during which the sport will debut at the Paralympics. All five Paratriathlon Continental Championships and the World Paratriathlon Events will play a major role in qualification for Rio. ITU will also offer classification opportunities at various paratriathlon races, which will be communicated shortly.

All Continental Confederation calendars have been completed with the inclusion of 55 Continental Cups, which is more than ever in an Olympic year. There are first-time locations on every continent, ensuring triathlon reaches new territories. Olympic points and quota spots will be on the line at the Continental Championships in Gisborne, New Zealand; Buffalo City, South Africa; and Hatsukaichi, Japan. While Olympic qualification points have already been allocated for Europe and the Americans, their Continental Championship races will be held in Lisbon, Portugal and Buenos Aires, Argentina, respectively.

As the initiative to grow the sport of triathlon in the winter months continues, ITU is excited to announce the addition of the Quebec ITU S3 Winter Triathlon World Cup to its 2016 calendar, along with several Winter Triathlon events that will offer the traditional format. The event in Quebec, which will be held on February 19-21, will be a three-day long celebration where age groupers, paratriathletes and elites will all have a chance to compete in the snow and ice with a race format that includes snowshoeing, speed skating and skiing. This race comes in addition to the traditional Winter Triathlon World Championships format of running, biking and cross country skiing to be held in Austria February 12-14.

For the full 2016 calendar, click here.

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Kevin Mackinnon

The post ITU Announces Full 2016 Calendar appeared first on Triathlon Magazine Canada.

200 Ironman races. That’s 480 miles of swimming, 22,400 miles cycling and 5,240 miles running. And that doesn’t include the countless more miles put into training for all that.

Photos: FinisherPix.com

John Wragg on his trusty Litespeed titanium frame at Ironman Cozumel.

John Wragg did his first Ironman race in 1988. He finished his 200th at Ironman Cozumel in November, his 17th Ironman of 2015. Those achievements alone deserve a nod as one of our performances of the year, but the fact that Wragg does all this on a replaced hip (the result of a bike accident in 2008) makes all this even more impressive.

Earlier this week City TV named Wragg their athlete of the week. A fitting award for the 65-year-old Torontonian.

You can check out the City TV feature on Wragg here.

CTV also did a story on Wragg earlier this week.

John Wragg and his wife Elizabeth Model finish Ironman Cozumel.

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Kevin Mackinnon

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Ironman announced today the addition of the Subaru 5150 Vancouver triathlon, which will take place on July 10, 2016. The race, which will also serve as the 2016 5150 Canadian Championship, showcases the iconic landmarks that the City of Vancouver offers.

“Vancouver offers the perfect destination race that our athletes truly appreciate. This urban event provides a unique experience for veteran athletes as well as those looking to take on the sport for the first time,” said Jeff Edwards, Vice President of Operations for Ironman. “The sport of triathlon is thriving in Canada and we are excited to expand our race offerings in this beautiful country.”

The Subaru 5150 Vancouver Triathlon will feature a 1.5-kilometer swim, 40-kilometer bike and 10-kilometer run. The race starts with the swim in Coal Harbour. Athletes will then bike through Stanley Park and along Beach Avenue with views across English Bay before returning to Harbour Green Park. From there runners will take on a scenic run course along the seawall around Stanley Park before finishing in iconic downtown Vancouver.

At the same time, Iron Girl has announced an addition to their series with the Subaru Iron Girl Vancouver triathlon, which will take place on August 7, 2016. This sprint triathlon welcomes female athletes of all levels to the sport through the beginner-friendly distances of a 750-meter swim, 20-kilometer bike and 5-kilometer run. Introductory clinics will be offered to prepare anyone wanting to take up the challenge of a triathlon. This event showcases Spanish Banks with views back across the water towards downtown Vancouver.

“The Iron Girl triathlon builds on the legacy of women in sport established last year during the Women’s FIFA World Cup in Canada,” said Michelle Collens, Sport Host Manager for the City of Vancouver. “The sport of triathlon is truly accessible to all women.”

The Subaru 5150 Vancouver triathlon and Subaru Iron Girl Vancouver triathlon join the other well-established races that Ironman produces in British Columbia, including the Subaru Ironman Canada and Subaru Ironman 70.3 Victoria presented by Saunders Subaru.

General registration for the Subaru 5150 Vancouver triathlon will open on December 21, 2016 at www.ironman.com/5150vancouver. Athlete inquiries may be directed to vancouver@ironman.com. More information on the Subaru Iron Girl Vancouver triathlon can be found at: www.irongirl.com/events/vancouver.htm. Athlete inquiries may be directed to vancouver@irongirl.com.

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Kevin Mackinnon

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